In Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, he focuses on the conflicting views of society and nature in the Puritan society and uses contrast, symbolism, and imagery to convey his beliefs. From the beginning of the novel, color was used symbolically, representing everything from life to death; punishment to freedom. The color red was used throughout the novel, most notably as the scarlet letter. A letter “A” was forced upon Hester’s chest by the Puritan society as punishment for her sin of adultery in the beginning of the novel, with gold lining surrounding a vibrant, red cloth. It felt to Hester as though the red cloth emanated a “burning heat; and as if the letter were not of red cloth, but red-hot iron” (30).
Pearl is also described to one day be a "blessed soul in Heaven" which reinforces Puritan religious values. Although Hester has sinned, her child can still be pure and go to Heaven. This shows that Puritans have some mercy, even though Pearl was a product of sin. Hester was still held with "apprehension" about all of these thoughts and ideas jumbling in her head. She was surprised Pearl "would be for good," since her sin "had been evil."
Running into headlights. Running into the silence of death.” The anaphora of ‘running’ highlights his emotional devastation which shows Tom's paranoia and frustration in the initial stages of the novel. As a result of the crisis, Tom responds adversely to a new start at Coghill. 3. The motif of darkness is frequently used to demonstrate a condition of misery and downhearted: “There aren’t words to say how black and empty pain felt.
The story gained a lot of information and it wasn’t as scornful as the way Dee is towards Maggie. If Dee was to tell her point of view, it would be full of lies and she would be full of judgmental comments especially towards Maggie. You would notice in the end how scornful and judgmental she was to Maggie by saying that she ought to make something of herself too. The narrator of the story admires her daughter Dee and all her good ways but also points out her selfish and patronizing ways. Dee’s attitude towards her family
Symbol and Interpretation in Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter. When Hester comes back to New England, Nathaniel Hawthorne comments upon her return with this sentence: she "resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale." The letter, as a "symbol," is thus the central subject of the book; Hester's story itself only corresponds to the "small roll of dingy paper" that provides an insight into the elusive meaning of the letter. The reader is thus invited to consider the whole story as a progressive uncovering of the "truth" of a symbol that constitutes one of the most enigmatic elements of American literature. Critics over the years focused on this search for a hidden significance, and put forward their own interpretation of this "truth."
In isolation from the other men Crooks begins to doubt what he sees. The loneliness affects his sense of reality and he starts to imagine things. Because he does not have anyone to turn to “and ast him if he sees it too”, he has no one to confirm his suspicions. He has doubt in himself, “I just don’t know”, and there is no one to protect him which leaves him on edge with no closure. Crooks tries to conceal his loneliness because it opens him as a target, it is a weakness, having no one to talk to has affected Crooks in such
Holden’s fear of change contributes to his resistance of the process of maturity. This is because Holden considers becoming mature a substantial change in his life and he, therefore, resists it. When Holden hired a prostitute, he realised that having sex with a prostitute would contribute to his progress to adulthood. Therefore, he attempted to get out of it by diverting the topics of the conversations he had with the prostitute, even though he knew it was a ‘childish thing’. It is notable that Holden never directly mentioned that he disliked sex; He merely says that he was ‘feeling so damn peculiar.’ His thoughts about the museum of Natural History demonstrate his fear of change.
Although not necessarily influential upon his principles, his priestly status causes him to regret his actions. From this, the message that I received was that his occupation was more of a burden that overlapped with his desires; being faithful to God is difficult when you're a drunkard. Another theme that was presented in the book was how treason was viewed as a crime comparable to murder and thievery. The fact that one of the ideas focused on in the book is the hunt for the priest shows how heinous his crime actually was. It's a strange contrast to the life that I'm used to, seeing as we are protected by liberties that allow us to practice any religion we want without worry.
White Noise is based on a depressing world view. Jack asks: “why do these possessions carry such sorrowful weight? There is a darkness attached to them, a foreboding” (6), why would this view be interpreted over possessions like boxes? That is a very disappointing outlook on life! This dreadful view throughout the novel is also expressed when Murray explains that “once you are out of school, it is only a matter of time before you experience the vast loneliness and dissatisfaction of consumers…” (50).
Desdemona’s innocent, loyal, and honorable traits contribute to the theme that things are not always as they seem due to Othello’s failure to recognize them in his moments of jealous accusation. Desdemona’s most obvious trait is that of innocence. It is shown clearly throughout the whole play through her religious faith, dedication to Othello and her disbelief in any act of betrayal. In the beginning of the play, Othello too is dedicated and in love with Desdemona. Although, by Act IV of the play Othello is convinced, by Iago, that Desdemona is a “whore” and dishonorable to their marriage.